Greytown decimate Red Star in final

Greytown decimated Red Star in the final of the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Bidwell Cup competition played at Queen Elizabeth Park oval in Masterton over the weekend, winning by an innings and 23 runs.
It was a comprehensive victory in every way for the southerners who clearly outbatted, outbowled and outfielded their opposition to win the premier two-day trophy for the third time in the past four years.
The one blot on the landscape for them in that period came only last year when they lost the final to Lansdowne by just the one wicket.
Greytown's latest success was set up on the first day when on a pitch which clearly favoured the bat over ball they posted a healthy first innings total of 295.
Red Star did, however, help their cause by putting down at least six catching chances, and another couple of half-chances as well.
It was the sort of inept fielding which was always likely to prove costly against a team with Greytown's penchant for scoring their runs at a rapid rate, and so it proved.
Both openers Mark Childs (28) and Jacob Ross (59) benefitted from the fielding misdemeanours as they gave their side a flying start with a stand of 57. Childs, who struck four fours, was the more fluent of the two in his stroke making but the burly Ross invariably took toll of any loose delivery. He hit 10 fours in all.
The in-form Seth Rance came in at number four and after a scratchy start which saw him survive one catching chance and play and miss on three or four occasions he produced a number of powerful shots in a knock of 66 which included a couple of massive sixes and five fours.
Dean Southey was an impressive mixture of patience and aggressive in his 50 , as proved by his 21 singles alongside five fours, and Paul Lyttle was typically belligerent in striking three fours and a six in his 38.
Red Star's attack was generally consistent enough in line and length but figures tended to suffer because of the many lapses in the field.
Opening bowlers Carywn Caffell (2-47) and Jarrod Watt (2- 67) looked the most likely to make inroads into the Greytown batting line-up although the most prolific wicket taker was Peter Sigvertsen, who finished with 3-43. Spinner Kyle Williamson also snared a couple of wickets at a cost of 54 runs.
Red Star's first innings stuttered along from the time opener Corey Burling was bowled with the score at 18 and they were finally all out for 159, 36 runs shy of the follow on mark. Opener Daniel Stonely was fifth out after making 38 (five fours and one six), Peter Sigvertsen had five fours in his 24 and Willie Thomson two fours in his 20.
The 28 runs put on by Thomson and Carwyn Caffell (8 not out) for the last wicket was the second best partnership of the innings, bettered only by the 37 runs registered by Stonely and Joe Hull (16) for the second wicket.
It was Ewan Burt who tasted the most success of a six-pronged Greytown attack. He took 4-57 from his 15 overs while Seth Rance and Brian James grabbed two wickets apiece.
The Greytown bowlers were given grand support in the field with only the one catching chance being dropped.
Asked to follow on Red Star fared even worse in their second innings, being all out for 113 in 30.5 overs with injudicious shot making the main reason for their downfall. Joe Hull hit three fours and a six in his 25 and the only other batsmen to reach 20 was Peter Sigvertsen.
This time it was Seth Rance who did most of the damage with the ball for Greytown. He took two wickets in his ninth over-the first after lunch and the final over of the game-to finish with 5-25 from 8.5 overs. Ewan Burt again impressed too, taking 3-43 from 11 accurate overs and Dean Southey showed his all-round capabilities by taking 2-16 from seven overs.
Short scoreboards:-
Greytown 295 (Childs 28, Ross 59, Tatham 1, Rance 66, Lyttle 38, Doherty 0, Didsbury 9, Southey 50, Burt 4, Hodder 4, James 16 not out, extras 20; Watt 15-1-67-2, Caffell 18-4-47-2, Thomson 5-0-42-0, Williamson 11-0-54-2, Sigvertsen 14-4-43-2, Wilson 10-2-22-0, O'Gorman 3-0-7-0); Red Star 159 (Stonely 38, C.Burling 9, Hull 16, T.Burling 4, Watt 12, Sigvertsen 24, Williamson 0, Wilson 12, O'Gorman 4, Thomson 20, Caffell 8 not out, extras 12; Rance 13-1-45-2, Burt 15-0-57-4, Southey 4-0-20-1, Tatham 0.2-0-0-1, Hodder 2-0-17-0, James 4-0-10-2.) and 113 (Stonely 10, C.Burling 11, Hull 25, T.Burling 8, Watt 1, Sigvertsen 20, Williamson 4, Wilson 2, O'Gorman 6 not out, Thomson 5, Caffell 0, extras 21; Rance 9-0-25-5, Burt 11-1-43-3, Southey 7-1-16-2, James 4-0-15-0).